Hoag First in Southern California to Launch Phase I Clinical Trial to Treat Recurrent Neuroendocrine Cancer

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Jan 12, 2023, 12:49 ET

New alpha radiotherapy treatment has potential to change the face of cancer treatment

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Jan. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian recently became the first hospital in Southern California and one of only a handful of hospitals in the world to provide patients with access to a clinical trial that is poised to change the face of cancer treatment.

Hoag launched a phase 1 clinical trial to test the efficacy of Actinium-225 DOTATATE in treating recurrent neuroendocrine cancers. Actinium-225 DOTATATE is a new molecular therapy agent that works by targeting molecules on the surface of neuroendocrine tumor cells, called somatostatin receptors. After DOTATATE targets those molecules to the cancer cells, Actinium-225 releases alpha radiation to kill them.

Patients enrolled in the new trial are contending with a recurrence of neuroendocrine cancer after treatment with Lutathera, which works through beta radiation. In 2018, the FDA approved Lutathera to treat cancerous neuroendocrine tumors. At the time, Hoag and other hospitals began treating patients with this agent, which keeps cancer temporarily at bay. Over time, the tumors become resistant to Lutathera, and patients' cancers progressed.

"The new agent delivers alpha radiation, which is 100-times more powerful than beta radiation, providing the ability to treat cancer that may be resistant to beta radiation. In addition, alpha radiation travels far less distance than beta radiation, thus more normal body tissues are spared from the damaging radiation, which is expected to lead to fewer side effects," said Gary A. Ulaner, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.N.M., James & Pamela Muzzy Endowed Chair in Molecular Imaging and Therapy at the Hoag Family Cancer Institute. "It's a balancing act with radiation, as well as any form of systemic therapy. You want to give as much as you can to kill the cancer, but the more you give, the more side effects you get. Newer alpha radiation therapies greatly tilt this balancing act toward benefiting patients."

Hoag patients now have access to this powerful therapy, one available at few centers around the world. Dr. Ulaner believes that, if successful, this clinical trial will clear the path for other solid tumors to be treated with alpha radiation therapy, including prostate and breast cancers.

"I am hopeful that this will be one of the most successful advances in molecular imaging and therapy that we will have seen in many years," Dr. Ulaner said. "The ability to build these therapy molecules with alpha-emitting radiation will be a huge advance in the field of molecular imaging and therapy over the next several years. And it's now here at Hoag, so our patients can benefit from it."

ABOUT HOAG

Hoag is a nonprofit, regional health care delivery system in Orange County, California. Delivering world-class, comprehensive, personalized care, Hoag consists of 1,800 top physicians, 15 urgent care facilities, 10 health & wellness centers, and two award-winning hospitals. Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes six institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, digestive health, heart and vascular, neurosciences, women's health, and orthopedics through Hoag's affiliate, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and four ambulatory surgical centers. Hoag is the highest ranked hospital in Orange County by U.S. News & World Report and the only OC hospital ranked in the Top 10 in California, as well as a designated Magnet^® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). For more information, visit hoag.org.